Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A68478
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The supplycacyon of soulys made by syr Thomas More knyght councellour to our souerayn lorde the Kynge and chauncellour of hys Duchy of Lancaster. Agaynst the supplycacyon of beggars
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More, Thomas, Sir, Saint, 1478-1535.
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1529
(1529)
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STC 18092; ESTC S104281
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92,618
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92
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say that the spyryte of god was more effectually present and assysteÌ„t vnto the synagoge of the Iewys in the law of hys prophete Moyses theÌ„ vnto the church of hys awne onely bygoten sonne in the law of crystys gospell ¶ If they consyder well the bokê of y â— Machabeys they shall fynd suche thynge therin as maye geue theym good occasyon to put lyttell dowte but that yt shuld be of great and vndenyable authoryte For they shall fynde there that the greate good and godly valyaunt capytayne of goddys people dyd instytute and ordayne the great feste of the dedycacyon of the temple of HierusaleÌ„ called festuÌ„ encemoruÌ„ of the annuall instytucyon of whyche feste we rede no where ellys but in y â— boke of the Machabeys And yet fynde we that feste euer after contynued and had in honour vntyll crystê awne dayes and our sauyour hym selfe went to the celebracyon of that same feste as appereth in the gospell of saynt IhaÌ„n So that yt may well appere that y e bokys of that noble hystory wherof remeaneth so noble a monument and remembraunce contynually kepte and reserued so longe after and honowred by crystes awne precyouse ê‘son and testyfyed by hys holy Euangelyste in the boke of hys holy gospell can not be but vndowted trewth and of dyuyne authoryte ¶ And surely yf they deny y e boke of the Machabeys for holy scripture bycause the Iewys accompte yt not for suche then shall they by the same reason refuse the authoryte of the boke of Sapyence and proue theym selfe insypyentys And lyke wyse yf they take all scrypture bysyde the newe testament to be of none other force and authoryte then yt ys accomptyd in the rule and canon of the Iewes then shall the hole psalter of Dauyd the very somme of clere and lyghte some prophesyes leese amonge theym greate parte of his authoryte syth yt ys not taken in lyke force and strenght among the Iewes as yt ys in Crystys church ¶ Fynall for the boke of the Machabees syth the church of Cryste accounteth yt for holy scrypture there can no man dout therof but he that wyll take awaye all credence and authoryte from the hole scrypture of god the very gospellys and all For yf these heretykys deny for holy scrypture eny boke that the chyrche of Cryste accounteh for holy scrypture then deny they one of the grettyst foundacyons of all crysteÌ„ fayth and the thyng whych theyr master Marten Luther hym self hath all redy confessed for trew For he affyrmyth hym selfe that god hath gyuen vnto the church of Cryste that gyfte that the church cannot fayle surely and certeynly to discerne betwene the wordys of god and the wordys of men y t yt cannot be desceyuyd in the choyse of holy scrypture and reiectyng of the contrary so farforth that he coÌ„fessyth as he nedys must of necessyte that the noble doctour and gloryouse coÌ„fessour saynt Austeyne sayth very well when he sayd that he shuld not haue beleuyd the gospell but for y e authorite of y e church For he had not knowen whych had bene the very boke of the gospels and whych not amoÌ„g so many as were wryten but by the authoryte of the church whom the spyryte of god assysted as yt euer dothe and euer shall in the choyse and receyuyng of holy scripture and reieccyoÌ„ of the couÌ„terfete and false Wherby yt apperyth clerely not onely by that holy doctour saynt Austeyn but also by the confessyon of y e arche heretyke Luther hym selfe that the church cannot be dysseyuyd in the choyce of holy scrypture and reieccyon of the contrary so farforthe y t yt neyther can receyue as holy scrypture eny booke that ys none nor reiect for other then holy scrypture eny boke that is holy scrypture in dede And surely yf the churche myghte so be deceyuyd in the choyse of holy scripture that they myghte take approue for holy scrypture eny boke that were none then stode all crystendome in dout and vnsurety whether saynt IhaÌ„ns gospell were holy scripture or not and so forth of all the new testament ¶ And therfore syth as we haue shewed you by the heretykes owne confessyons the church of Cryste cannot be deceyuyd in the choyse eleccyon of holye scrypture by whyche they re confessyon they muste nedys abyde and not flyt therfro as they dayly do chauÌ„ge and vary from theyr owne wordê in many other thyngis except that they wyll in the fallyng from that poynte refuse the streÌ„ghte and authoryte of the newe testament of cryste and syth as your selfe well perceyueth also the churche of cryste receyueth and taketh and as ye se by saynt Hyerome and other olde holy doctours thys thowsande yere hath approued and fermely byleued the holy boke of the Machabeys to be one of the volumes of holy scrypture and then in that boke ye se so manyfestely purgatory proued that none heretyque as shamelesse as they be can yet for shame say the coÌ„trary but are by the playn and open wordys of that holy boke so dreuen vp to y â— hard wall that they can no ferther but are fayne to say that the boke ys no parte of scrypture whyche shyfte they must nedys forsake agayne or ellys reuoke they re awne wordys and therwyth also thauthoryte of all crystê gospell there shall yf eyther reason or shame can holde neuer nede eny ferther thyng for the profe of purgatory to stoppe y â— mowthys of all the heretyques that are or shal be to the worldys ende ¶ But yet syth they be so hamelesse and vnresonable that the thyng whyche they can in no wyse defende they can not yet fynde in they re prowde harte to gyue ouer but when yt ys prouyd by dyuers playne textis of y â— olde testament then hauyng no probable reason for they re parte they neuer the more gyue place to trewth but stykke to they re obstynate nay let vs se whyther our purpose be not preued by good and substancyall authoryte in the newe testament also ¶ And fyrste let vs consyder the wordys of the blessyd apostle and euaÌ„gelyst saynt IhaÌ„n where he sayth Est peccatuÌ„ vsque ad morteÌ„ non dico vt pro to roget quis There ys sayth he some synne that ys vnto the deth I bydde not that eny man shall praye for that Thys synne as the interpreters agre ys vnderstanden of desperacyon and impenytens as though saynt IhaÌ„n wolde say y t who so depart owt of thys world impeniteÌ„t or in dispayre eny prayour after made caÌ„ neuer stande hym in stede Then appereth yt clerely that saynt IhaÌ„n meaneth that there be other whyche dye not in such case for whom he wolde men shuld pray bycause y â— prayour to suche sowlys may be ê“fytable But that profyte can no man take neyther beyng in heuen where yt nedeth not nor beyng in hell where yt boteth not Wherfore it appereth plaine y t such prayour helpeth onely for
clergy then wold they graunte that saued soules at yet purged in the fyre here for theyr synnis vnsatysfyed in the worlde and yt shulde then suffyce theÌ„ to say for they re purpose that neyther prest nor pope nor eny man els nor eny maÌ„nys almes or prayour can in thys place of ponyshmeÌ„t eny thynge releue vs. For thys were ynough ye se well to sarue theyr purpose agaynst y â— clergy But yet because they haue a farre farther purpose agaynst all good crysteÌ„ fayth they be not coÌ„tent therfore to leue at hys poynt but steppe them forthe farther and deny purgatory vtterly to th eÌ„de that men shuld take boldnes to care the lesse for they re synne And yf they myght onys be beleuyd theryn theÌ„ wold they step yet farther denye hell and all and after that heuen to But as for heuen albeyt y â— as yet they denye yt not yet pull they many a symple sowle thence whych were yt not for theyr myscheuous doctrine were els well lykly to be there a full bryght and gloryouse saynt ¶ And surely the more that wyse men aduyse them selfe vppon this mater the more shall they meruayle of the mad mynd of theym that deny purgatory or say y â— the prayours or good workys of meÌ„ lyuyng in the world caÌ„ do vs here no good For euery maÌ„ that eny wyt hath wotteth well that the surest way were in euery dowt best to be taken Now suppose then that purgatory could in no wyse be prouyd and y â— some wold yet say playnly y â— there were one some wold say playnly nayâ—let vs now see whether sorte of these twayne might take most harm if theyr part were the wrong Furst he that beleued there were purgatory that hys prayour and good wurkê wrought for hys 〈◊〉 dys soule myghte relyeue theÌ„ theyrn and because therof vsed mych prayour and almoyse for theym he could not lese the reward of hys good wyll all though hys opynyon were vntrew that there were no purgatory at all no more then he leseth hys labour new y â— prayeth for one whoÌ„ he fereth to ly in purgatory where he ys all redy in heueÌ„ But on the tother syde he that beleueth there ys none and therefore prayeth for none yf hys opynyoÌ„ be false and that there be purgatory in dede as in dede there ys he leseth mych good and getteth hym also myche harme for he both fereth myche y â— lesse to synne and to ly long in purgatory sauyng that hys heresye shall saue hym thense and send hym downe depe in to hell ¶ And yt fareth bytwene these two kynd of folk as yt faâ—ed bytwene a lewde galaÌ„d a pore frere Whom when the galand saw goynge barefote in a great froste and snowe he asked hym why he dyd take suche payne And he answered y â— yt was very lytell payne yf a man wold remeÌ„ber hell ye frere quoth y â— galant but what there be none hell thaÌ„ arte thou a great fole ye mayster quoth the frere but what there be hell than ys your mayster shyppe a mych more sole ¶ More ouer there was neuer yet eny of that sorte that coulde for shame saye that eny man ys in parell for byleuynge that there ys purgatory But they saye onely that there ys none in dede and that they may wythout eny synne afferme they re opynroÌ„ for trouth But now vpon the tother syde many an hundred thowsand that ys to wyt all the hole churche of cryste that ys or euer hath bene afferme that the affâ—â—myng of they re opynyon agaynst purgatory ys a playne dampnable heresy Wherfore it well and playnly appereth and euery wyse maÌ„ well seeth that yt ys the farre surer way to belyue in such wyse as hath the partys agree to be owt of all parell theÌ„ that way whych so farre the greter parte and myche farther the better parte afferme to be vndowted dedely synne And now where as euery fole maye se that eny wyse man wyll take the sureste way which ys as ye se dowble proued to belyue that there ys purgatory yet sayd the wyse proctour of beggars y â— wyse men wyll saye there ys none For â—e sayth y â— many greate letterd men and ryght conynge men wyll not let to put theÌ„ self 〈◊〉 â—eoperdye of shame of deth also to shewe they re myndâ— that there ys no purgatory He ys loth to say y â— these be heretyques but he sayeth these be they that men call heretyques Wherin he speketh 〈◊〉 lyke as yf he word poynt wyth hys fynger to a flokke of faâ— wethers and â—aâ— these be suche bestys as men call shepe ¶ 〈◊〉 now wolde we fayne se whyche be these wyse men and well leâ—red whych shall not fayle vppon they re awne confessyon to agre that they re aduersaryes take the sure way and fâ—rthesie owte of parell and theym selfe the moste daungerouse and ferthest from all surety But yet wolde we for y â— whyle fayn here who they be Surely none other but Luther and Tyndale and thys beggars proctoure a few such of that sect meÌ„ of such vertew wysdome and lerning as they re lewd wryâ—ynge and mych more they re lewd lyuyng shewyth ¶ But now at they farre an other maner sorte both in nomber wysdome lernyng trewth and good lyuyng whych affyrme and say the contrary And surely yf .iii. or iiii C. good and honest men wold fayth fully cum forth tell one y â— sum of hys frendâ— were in a farre cuÌ„trey for dâ—t kept in pryson that hys charyte myght relyeue them thence yf then .iii. or iiii fond felows wold cum and say the contrary and tell hym playn there ys no such prison at all as he ys borne in haÌ„d that his frrÌ„dys at prysoned in yf he wold now be so lyght to beleue those .iii. or .iiii. noughty ê‘sons agaynst those .iii. or .iiii. C. good and honest meÌ„ he theÌ„ shuld well decypher hym self and well declare therby that he wold gladly cach hold of sum small handell to kepe hys money fast rather then help hys frendys in they re necessyte ¶ Now yf ye coÌ„sider how late thys lewd sect began whych among crysteÌ„ men barketh agaynst purgatory and how few alway for very shame of theyr foly hath hetherto fallen in to them and then yf ye coÌ„syder on the tother syde how full and hole the gret corps of all crysteÌ„ cuntreys so many hundred yerys haue euer told you the contrary ye shall we be very sure for euery person spekyng agaynste purgatory fynde for the tother parte mo than many an hundred ¶ Now yf these men wyll ê‘aduenture say that they care no for such coÌ„paryson neyther of tyme wyth tyme noÌ„ber wyth noÌ„ber nor cuÌ„pany wyth cuÌ„pany but syth sum one man ys in credeÌ„ce worth sum vu score yf they wyll therfore call vs to sum other rekening wyll that we compare of the best choyse on both